Toronto Candlelight Vigil for the Dictator Hugo Chavez

Mar.7,2013

A bunch of assorted lefties held today a candlelight vigil for the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez (thanks Sassywire for the info). When I attend such events, I always recall Albert Einstein’s observation that two things are infinite – the universe and the human stupidity – and he isn’t sure about the first one.

The Comandante’s faithful followers

The people gathered in the park were mourning the death of a man, who, though elected, exercised full control over his country. His government didn’t like the free press or anybody else who disagreed with his revolution.

He oversaw a corrupt country where few rights were respected; where a business never had the security to operate safely. Not surprisingly, the economy tanked and the huge inflation ate up the savings of many people.

The inevitable keffiyeh solidarity

All those misfortunes had little effect on Hugo Chavez and his friends. The modest colonel, son of teachers, reportedly died a billionaire – his family was $2 billion richer at the time of his death. It is hard to believe that he saved the money from his salary. He also provided the discounted oil supply to Cuba, which prevented the old vampires Fidel and Raul Castro from turning into dust.

All that didn’t find its place in the speeches of the Toronto revolutionaries. One could’ve thought that they were talking of a completely different person.

The worst revolutionary song ever written

The speakers from different organizations praised Old Hugo as a compassionate, but uncompromising saint, who did nothing but good. All of them condemned the message of the Canadian Government to the Venezuelan people as insulting – they were sincerely outraged that it didn’t worship the genius of Hugo.

Unions, unions, and more unions…

An old lady from the Communist Party of Canada delivered a fiery speech condemning Harper’s government as a bunch of thieves who not only stole the election, but also committed many crimes and robbed the people from their money. She promised a revolution to overthrow them, the kind that Chavez made (you can see her in the video).

Signing the book…

Hasta la Victoria Siempre!

Other than the usual ancient Canadian hippies, who don’t know any better and take any leftist ideology at its face value, there were people from other countries. Other than Venezuelan I saw Salvadorian, Ghanaian, Cuban and other flags, including the flag of Farabundo Marti, the guerrilla organization from El Salvador.

Farabundo Marti – still in business

Revolutionary stupidity strikes at any age…

And that was the saddest part, because there were many people from South America. After the rally, all of them would return to their houses and apartments, paid either by the social services or the money they make from working for somebody. They won’t starve and nothing will disturb their mundane existence in Canada. The “horrible” and “murderous” capitalist system, which all speakers condemned, will ensure their carefree life.

At the same time, many people in Venezuela and Cuba would go to bed hungry thinking how to escape from the incredibly “successful” societies that the genius of the Castro brothers and Hugo Chavez built. And for some reason the revolutionaries chose to come to Canada instead of helping Chavez to build the perfect socialist society.